Breaking A Forgotten Promise
by Nayeli Tiaret
Chapter One - A Promise Made
The early rays of sunlight fell through the barred window into the small room, illuminating the table below. The sharp tools arranged there glimmered, and shone brilliantly, despite their dubious nature. The light slowly woke the occupant of the room, distorting itself across her face. Grim shadows were drawn over her marred features, giving her the look of a freshly bitten werewolf. Hideous, she thought to herself, not even needing a mirror to know how bad the damage was. She could feel it. She squinted at the door through her good eye, trying to carefully avoid drawing attention to herself. The guard was sleeping, and she took advantage of this momentarily to utter a few choice curse words that would make the Dark Lord himself cringe. A soft wave of blue light silenced her immediately, and she feigned sleep beneath the threadbare blanket as another entered the cell. The young man that entered woke the sleeping man with a few sharp jabs to his side with his wand.
"Oi! Wha' ya do that fer, I was tryin' to sleep, I was!" The sleeping man said. The younger man just glared back, as if to remind him that resting on the job wasn't allowed anyway. The sleeping man got his bearings and stood, understanding the unspoken admonishment.
"I've come to relieve you of your duties, effective immediately," the younger man said. "Need I remind you that you are needed elsewhere this morning?" he sardonically rose an eyebrow, mocking the formerly sleeping man.
"Too right, you, I'd almost forgotten. I'd best be on my way then," he started out the door before he continued, back turned to the other man. "And don' you forget, Snape, that our Lord forbids any marks on 'er but his own." He replied cryptically and left the cell, the door clanging shut behind him. After a complex wave of his wand Snape turned to face the room for the first time, satisfied that he wouldn't be interrupted by the other inhabitants of the manor as he worked.
She cracked open an eye to assess the new addition to the room, relaxing a little in recognition. In two smooth strides, he crossed the tiny cell to kneel beside her bed, withdrawing two vials from an inside pocket of his robes. The first, of a sickly lime green color, she downed immediately as he brought it to her lips. The effect was minimal, but it served to reduce her pain enough to allow the barest of movements. She turned her head and opened her mouth to speak, but he forestalled her with a single raised finger.
"I am aware that what I just gave you is not the most efficacious brew, but under the circumstances it was the only pain reliever I could get my hands on," he started harshly, then checked his tone. He softened his look to one of concern before he added, "however, it should tide you over until I am able to return to my lab."
Her gaze never faltered through his speech, looking into his eyes with barely disguised hope. Many lonely, torturous nights had passed where she had prayed for a savior, someone to release her from her painful cell in the dungeons of the manor, and each time he returned, she renewed her faith in his ability to help her. She wholeheartedly believed, that as soon as it was in his power to get away, he'd gladly risk everything to take her along. Even his own life. She believed that he was just like her, thrown into a situation that was inescapable, only he was making an effort to break free of it. She spoke slowly, so as not to aggravate her injuries.
"It matters not. I'm glad that you came back, when you're not obligated to help me in the first place," she replied smartly, wincing slightly as the pain in her jaw pulsed harder. He frowned slightly at this, clearly not pleased with the potions less than beneficial effects. Or maybe it was something more like regret in his eyes, she couldn't be sure.
"I -" he hesitated, "I promise that no matter what happens here, I will get you to safety. I can't just leave you to your death like this." His voice broke on the last few words and he looked away suddenly, pinching the bridge of his nose as to stem the flow of imminent tears. "I will not make that mistake again," he continued more evenly.
"I trust you. I know you won't fail, you lack the ability," she joked weakly, turning up a corner of her mouth in as much of a smile as she could manage. He smirked in response, reaching for the second corked vial, this one a pale pink color. He absentmindedly twirled it in his fingers as the smirk vanished from his face, to be replaced by the emotionless mask he was used to wearing during a Dark Revel.
"Though I'm sure you won't like what I have to say, I strongly advise that the next time there are, ah... 'visitors' here, that you decide against fighting back. It can only mean worse injuries for you, and I don't know when I'll next be able to heal them. Promise me you won't provoke them intentionally?" He inquired softly, already knowing that what he was offering was no more than the lesser of two evils. And though she was many years his junior, he could see in her more of his own traits that he cared to admit. Particularly, the stubbornness he invoked in the presence of certain danger, refusing to lose his dignity by giving his tormentors what they so desired from him.
"I won't. So long as you keep up your end of the bargain, and don't prolong my suffering, I won't make a fuss. Just, hurry, alright? I don't know how much longer I can take what punishments they give. Especially from that blond-haired fellow. He's downright sadistic," she finished softly, a far-off gleam in her eyes that suggested her mind had returned to that painful place she tried to avoid in the daylight hours. He noticed, and turned her head towards him as gently as her injuries would permit.
"Don't think about him if you can manage it. It will only make matters worse, and you need to be of sound mind to travel with me. For now, rest up, and look for me to return in the next few days." He slipped the vial discreetly beneath her thin mattress, and added, "drink that if they give you more Vulnus Resumo for your scars. You know, that vile yellow concoction that tastes of molded strawberries." He grimaced, knowing the taste all too well, despite his relatively short experience with it. "It should counteract most of the effects of it if you take that afterwards." She simply nodded, and he moved to stand. The silence was tense, each not knowing when they would next meet. She gave his hand a brief squeeze from her prone position on the mattress, and he nodded his assent to the unasked question.
"I will come back for you." His solemn words echoed minutely in the small cell, and before she could respond he swiftly dislodged his hand and made for the entrance, dispelling his earlier charms with a wave of his wand, and departed. She allowed herself a smile, her first genuine one in days, and steadied her resolve for the pain that would come as night fell, when the moon would shine through her barred window once more.
Little did she know, he would not return.
A/N: Vulnus Resumo, is a (poorly) translated term meaning "wounds renew", in Latin. Do not penalize me for inaccuracy, the translation is only as accurate as the internet source that I used, and seeing as I don't possess any ancient Latin texts, it shall have to do for the purpose of this story. Also, Snape is around the age of twenty-three for all intents and purposes of this fic, so I do apologize if he is OOC, but it's not as if his young life is canonized in the books much, so it's basically AU when anyone writes it. That said, read & review, I'd really appreciate feedback here.
And to my readers of "Sans Serpens", know that I have not given up on it, only I've started this fic as a companion to it, and you'll discover why later.